Description
About Kindred
At Kindred, we’re convinced the key to living well is healthy relationships with self, family, and others. But relationships are complicated and sometimes we find ourselves in vulnerable places, disconnected from those who matter most.
Kindred’s purpose is to realize the power of human connection, and it shapes everything we do. Whether nuclear or chosen, family is the most important relationship in a person’s life. So, we invest in the special bond between children and those that care for them. We provide road maps toward healing when essential relationships are ruptured. And we understand that accessing timely mental health support can inspire confidence in self and others. Healthy human connection is possible, and together we can realize it.
The Position
Job Title: Perinatal Health and Wellness Worker, Dietitian
Job Type: 0.8FTE, Permanent Position
Work Arrangement: Hybrid role, a combination of work from home and in-office
Position Overview
The Perinatal Health and Wellness Worker, Dietitian, supports the health and well-being of pregnant people and parents/caregivers with young children by providing community-based education and resourcing across Kindred’s parenting programs and within the community. The Perinatal Health and Wellness Worker promotes healthy pregnancies, positive birth outcomes, breastfeeding, and family nutrition, with a focus on families experiencing challenges to meeting basic needs, social isolation, and other systemic barriers. This role works closely with teams across Kindred and other community organizations to reduce barriers to public health and nutrition services, increase health literacy, and support culturally relevant, family-centered care. This position reports to the Supervisor of Community Programs.
Accountabilities
Client Serving (65%)
- Provide one-on-one and group-based education on topics such as: prenatal nutrition; breastfeeding and infant feeding practices; nutrition for parents/caregivers and children with attention to food insecurity; introducing solids; access to culturally relevant and healthy foods; affordable meal planning; navigating selective eating; prenatal and infant vitamins; positive meal times; life skills (cooking, food safety, grocery shopping, understanding food labels); dietary restrictions and preferences; and gestational weight gain;
- Provide nutrition counselling services to individuals and families with a case management mindset, including personalized nutrition assessments, service planning/goal setting/nutrition plans, implementation/support, and evaluation/feedback;
- Reduce, where possible, geographic, financial, and language barriers for clients, and place an emphasis on warm, genuine, trauma-informed interaction in accordance with the guiding principles; this includes supporting clients to access internal and external resources;
- Crisis de-escalation and suicide prevention, safety plan development, engagement in supportive listening and connections to other resources within Kindred and in the community;
- Enhance family wellness and family resilience by supporting parent confidence and self-advocacy and offering trauma-informed and strengths-based supports to families experiencing stress, isolation, or other barriers;
- Demonstrate a high standard of service for prospective and current Kindred clients presenting with various concerns through various methods of contact (email, phone, in-person) by developing and implementing health promotion and awareness activities related to nutrition for targeted populations;
- Contribute to a warm, supportive, and non-judgmental atmosphere for clients, students, interns, and staff, including providing consultation and training opportunities;
Administrative (25%)
- Complete accurate and timely data collection and data entry in client database, maintaining complete client records of engagement;
- Utilize applicable measurement tools for monitoring service impact and reporting outcomes;
- Maintain working knowledge of current community resources that work to support the diverse population served
- Consultation with supervisor, colleagues, natural supports and other professionals;
Agency and Collaboration (10%)
- Create and maintain strong working relationships with community partners and other agencies within the sector, including other service providers, health providers, Indigenous health partners, and others, to enhance integrated care for pregnant and parenting families;
- Contribute to program planning, evaluation, knowledge-sharing and capacity building activities within the perinatal sector;
- Participate in individual and group supervision, team/agency/division meetings, committees, live observations, and professional development opportunities;
- Positively represent Kindred with sector partners, donors, volunteers and other stakeholders, including on partner sites, at networking meetings, and community events;
Qualifications
Skills and Education
- Bachelor’s degree with a specialization in Nutrition, Food Science, and/or Dietetics;
- Registered and in good standing with the College of Dietitians of Alberta;
- Group planning and facilitation skills; experience managing crisis situations and knowledge of child development and positive parenting strategies;
- Takes a posture of Cultural humility in working with diverse populations; experience with Indigenous and/or Immigrant families is an asset;
- Experience in strength-based and trauma-informed approaches while working with families navigating barriers such as poverty, systemic inequality, and trauma;
- Familiarity with Calgary’s public health and early years systems (e.g., Alberta Health Services, community health centers) and community resources;
- Knowledge of adolescent development, domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health;
- Ability to work independently, multi-task and prioritize in a dynamic and fast-paced environment
- Experience with quality assurance, data management, program outcome measurements and evaluation, and co-creation of reports, with intermediate to advanced skills in Microsoft Applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams)
Qualities and Characteristics
- Embodies Kindred’s purpose (connection!) as demonstrated by prioritizing, embracing, and thriving in the work through strong relationships internally and externally;
- Strong personal alignment with the Kindred values: compassion, courage, family, excellence, and humility.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates are invited to apply on the Kindred career site with a Cover letter and Resume. The application will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. We thank all applicants for your interest in this position. Please note, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Successful applicants for this Position must complete Police Information Check and Alberta Intervention Record Check.
Kindred offers a competitive benefits package, which includes health, dental, paid sick/personal days, generous vacation time, life insurance, AD&D, supplemental unemployment benefits plan, long-term disability, and group RRSP with employer matched contributions. We also offer on-going learning and development opportunities, and we hold employee appreciation and social events throughout the year.
The need for human connection is universal. At Kindred, we believe that everyone deserves to experience belonging regardless of where you come from, who you love, how much money you have or how you choose to pray. By embracing diversity of culture, race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and thought, Kindred is committed to ensuring there is space for you. Kindred approaches its diversity, equity, and inclusion journey with curiosity and humility. We commit to creating a safe and inclusive environment for our staff, clients and anyone we have the privilege of being in connection with.